Christmas Lights - Gajevy part 1
by readerbabey
Summary: FOR @fairygraffiti - my dear, this is but one of many stories I have in store for you here. Please enjoy. ) Your Secret Santa


Gajevy - Christmas Lights

Part 1

Snowflakes flitted on an icy breeze, forming delicate crystals on its journey to the ground. Ice built on top ice and over time a drift of snow an inch deep had solidified on top of the previous night's rainstorm; a frozen hazard hidden beneath the fluffy powder.

On that night, a man grumbled, bent over sheets of paper with lyrics scrawled in his chicken scratch; scrollwork of half-thought notes littered the area around him like a melodious hoard.

He hummed a few notes, plucking a chord on his wooden guitar. He stopped and filled in the next empty spaces with a chewed pencil. He repeated the tune, adding his recent addition and nodded to himself; he was satisfied with the pleasing sound.

A feline of the unlucky sort hopped onto the table, paying no mind to the paperwork he stepped all over. The man stuck his pencil behind his ear, lifting the young cat with the free hand and holding him to his chest behind his instrument. The animal purred in greeting, pushing his head into the musician's chest which earned him a distracted petting behind his ears.

The man reviewed his work thus far, mumbling to himself. A slight hiccup in the lyrics did not sit as well as he first thought and he bent over the paperwork again. The lack of space for his black feline friend triggered a claustrophobic reaction and he leapt from his owner's lap to the floor, but not before voicing his unhappiness with an irritated mewl.

"Shaddup, cat."

The animal padded across the room to the front window, settling on the sill to watch the snow fall from the sky. Though they had working electricity, Gajeel preferred the natural light and constantly left the curtains open, much to his cat's delight.

Both occupants whipped their heads towards the ceiling when a loud crash thumped in the apartment above them. There was a loud voice of the admonishing sort afterwards, then silence. Gajeel tipped his head back down to his music, content in the peace that followed the mild distraction. Though his cat was not so convinced, as he still stared at the ceiling with high expectations.

"Lil'," the man called, not bothering to look up, "yer freakin' me out."

The feline responded with a flick of his tail before turning back to the window. He looked up, past the falling snow and clouds, to the sky. He seemed to be waiting for something.

Gajeel tossed his pencil to the shallow coffee table, rubbing his eyes tiredly. A quick peek through his fingers told him his coffee had long since been downed and he reached for the cold mug, intending to refill it.

A shadow passed vertically in front of his window with a loud crack. The sight made his cat bristle and jump in the air, clawing at the outdoor monster. It didn't startle Gajeel, per se, but it certainly caught his attention. While the shadow was gone, he still walked to the window, looking up and then down at the trail it took. There in the dead bushes was a bundle of clothes, belonging to a female judging by the bright colors. He narrowed his eyes.

 _Did someone lose their laundry?_ he thought to himself.

While Pantherlily hissed in fury at the disturbance from a safe distance away, the pile of clothes moved and Gajeel saw a hand rise from bracken.

He sputtered and tripped over his feet as he bolted for the door. He had the ground level apartment, now with a body in his bushes.

He swung around the doorframe and leapt into the growing snow drift, suddenly remembering he had no shoes or shirt to speak of. He stomped through the frozen powder and finally reached the front window of his home where the body lay.

"Oi!" He yelled, brushing off snow from the little figure. He was afraid to touch him. He didn't want to make any injuries worse, though his feet were rapidly becoming numb.

"Are you okay?!"

The little person coughed and reached a hand towards him. He took it as good sign and lifted the body from the mess of twigs and debris. He had to kick away a string of lights, settling the small person in his arms.

He stomped back to his apartment and kicked the door closed, breathing in the hot air of the heater to help thaw his frozen body.

Pantherlily scampered away from his seat by the window to the kitchen counter, still a safe distance from their intruder. As gingerly as possible, Gajeel laid the body along the length of the couch.

Without the snow and bushes and limbs blocking his view, the petite figure happened to be female. On her head was a cream colored hat, knitted into a caricature of a cat. He pulled the garment off and a wild puff of fluffy blue hair clung to his leather couch with static. She blinked, chocolate eyes coming into focus.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, possibly a little more panicked than he wanted to sound.

Her eyes flickered to the side, mentally examining the situation. Her shoulder hurt, and her hip felt like she had been shot.

"You fell, I think. Do you remember?"

His words brought her eyes back to his face.

"The lights," she raised her hand to her head, coming into contact with the growing bump that was the source of her extreme discomfort.

"I was putting lights up," she explained. She sat up slowly, groaning when she disturbed her bruising hip. She made it into an upright position by herself, the hulking man hovering over her.

"You were putting up Christmas lights? Outside your window?" he questioned with disbelief.

She nodded, and hissed when her fingers brushed the injury to her head. The man stood and walked to the back kitchen, opening and closing cabinets and a possible refrigerator door.

The blue haired girl took in her surroundings with quiet curiosity. It was spartan and dark; minimalistic in decor, but still elegant. It was much warmer than it appeared. She picked up a sheet of music from the coffee table; one sheet of hundreds it seemed. She deduced he was a musician, judging by her final clue of an acoustic guitar lying haphazardly on the ground.

"Coffee?" he called from behind her.

She turned to see he had made an assortment of ice packs stacked on the counter. She felt no threat from him, even though his first impression was rather startling. She immediately recalled opening her eyes to blood red reptilian orbs. Still, she instantly decided she found the man to be attractive, and so relaxed in her leather seat.

"Yes, please," she answered.

"Sugar?"

She quickly searched her mind to find an answer for him; she didn't realize she had been staring, "Yes, and milk if you have it."

The man smirked, "So you're a weak coffee drinker."

Her nose wrinkled at his comment, biting back a scathing comeback. Instead she turned her attention back to the musical mess. It seemed she had picked a page from the chorus as the staff of notes repeated itself across the page.

A familiar, loud crackling called her back to the kitchen and she watched him approach with mugs in hand. One such cup was crowned with a spiral of sweetened whip cream. He handed her the enticing beverage.

"Thanks," she mumbled, taking the warm drink from him. She took a cautious sip, pleased to find it did not burn her. He leaned forward and laid one of his ice packs across her head, the penetrating cold attempting to soothe her pain.

"Here."

She looked up at him and he gestured for her hand, dropping two small pills into her palm, "Ibuprofen. You look like you need it."

Recognizing the engravings on the capsules to be legitimate, she popped them in her mouth and downed them with a swig of her creamy coffee.

"Thank you," she murmured. He hadn't taken a seat, but instead, watched her from afar.

She realized now just how sparse the furniture was. She seemed to be using the only available space to sit. She scuttled to one side, reposition the ice pack on her head.

"You can sit," she offered. When he didn't move, she gave him her best smile, "I don't bite."

End Part 1


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